A country in the north-eastern corner of Africa, irrigated by the river Nile. One of the greatest powers of the ancient Near East, it is mentioned with great frequency throughout the Bible. Jacob and his descendants were brought to settle there by Joseph in the book of Genesis and the remaining four books of the Pentateuch tell the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt to cross the Wilderness before conquering Canaan.

Sometimes translated as the River of Egypt. This is mentioned at Genesis 15:18 and Numbers 34:5 as the south-western border of the Promised Land. It is identified as Wadi el-Arish, which is 128 km (80 miles) west of the Dead Sea in the middle of the Sinai peninsula.

El'aleh or Elaleh was among the cities petitioned by the descendants of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. These tribes claimed the lands around Ya'ezer and Gilead for raising livestock, even though this area was on the eastern bank of the Jordan. After attempting to persuade them to settle in Canaan, Moses granted them permission to settle in Transjordan on condition that they armed themselves and led the other Israelites across the Jordan river as an advance guard (Numbers 32). It is usually identified with the modern el'Al, 3 km (2 miles) north-east of Cheshbon.

The Israelites stopped at Elim after crossing the Red Sea and passing through Marah. In contrast to the latter, Elim had twelve springs of water and seventy date palms (Exodus 15:27;Numbers 33:9-10). Elim means 'terebinths' or 'oaks'. Elim is usually identified with Wadi Gharandel, an oasis with tamarisks and palms about 60 km (38 miles) south-east of Suez along the west side of the Sinai desert.

Also spelt Erech. This Mesopotamian city is mentioned at Genesis 10:10 as part of the kingdom of Nimrod. It is situated in modern Iraq. In the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh it is mentioned, under the name of Uruk, as the seat of Gilgamesh's kingdom.

Place where the Israelites camped on the edge of the desert (Exodus 13:20; Number 33:6-7). Its precise location is unclear, but it is believed to be somewhere on the isthmus of Suez, possibly to the north-east of the Gulf. It has also been identified by medieval rabbinical scholars as being the Shur desert.

One of the rivers emanating from Paradise (Eden). It rises in the Armenian mountains and flows for 1780 miles (2865 km). The alluvial plain between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers was known as Babylonia. In Genesis 15:18 God made a covenant with Abraham, promising the Israelites that their territory would extend to 'the great river': this was later fulfilled through the conquests of King David.

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